Towers of Death Watch
by raven pyralis aiki chan
Summary: **two parts so far** The g-boys, in annother place, annother time, and they're all confused as hell. Their home kingdom desides that they are a danger to the peace and order, so they are sent away on a quest that no one thought to explain to them.


Standard disclaimers apply  
=========  
Warnings:  
This is just gonna be an all around nasty fic. As in lost limbs and  
other things, permanent scars that aren't all physical, and well...  
nastiness. I know, I'm evil. And I love it ^_^  
=========  
Towers of Death Watch  
Part 1  
=========  
  
Duo woke with a start and looked around. The room was dimly lit by   
the moonshine streaming through the open window. The muggy air was   
still, the only sound was the steady breath coming from the boy   
next to him. A possessive arm tightened around his slender waist as   
he settled back into the bed.   
  
Tomorrow, he thought. Visions of blood and carnage danced through   
his head as he thought about the days to come.  
  
Tomorrow.  
  
~~~  
  
Quatre turned over in his sleep, making a small squeak of distress,   
oblivious to the watchful green eyes that lingered on his face. His   
usually serene features were screwed up in a distantly frightened   
expression. Pail ghostly nightmares tormented his dreams. The tall   
boy next to him brushed a long, slender finger down the blonde's   
cheek. Almost instantly his features softened into their normal   
pail beauty.  
  
Trowa, satisfied that his lover was finally going to be able to   
sleep properly, settled down next to him. His breath evened out to   
the steady slow murmur of sleep.  
  
~~~  
  
Wufei sat on the small window sill of his room. Looking out over   
the courtyard for what he was sure would be the last time. The cool   
air fluttered the curtains, pulling strands of his loose hair back   
from his face.  
  
Tomorrow would surely be the beginning of something most   
unpleasant.  
  
***  
  
"Oi! Heero, oi!" Called a misleadingly cheerful voice.   
  
Heero turned to see his braided moron of a lover nearly skipping   
down the hall. He grunted to show he had heard the boy, otherwise   
Duo would keep yelling at him until he showed some sign that he had   
heard. If he had learned anything after his years together with Duo   
it was that he was persistent. To a fault.  
  
"We're heading out today ne, Heero?" Duo said with a grin, flinging   
a casual arm around Heero's hard muscled shoulders.  
  
The dark haired boy shrugged Duo off violently and glared hard at   
him. "What do you think your doing? We're in public."  
  
"Come one Heero, we're going to die in this anyway." He said almost  
pleadingly. "Couldn't you at least tell me you love me before we  
leave?" His dark violet eyes pleaded with Heero's cold blue ones.  
  
"When are we leaving?" Heero changed the subject as soon as he   
could trying not to sound to nervous. Soldiers weren't nervous.   
Ever.  
  
"Fine," Duo said at last, sounding hurt, but almost as if he had  
never expected Heero to say anything, "We leave at dusk."   
  
Duo leaned over and brushed a butterfly kiss on Heero's cheek,  
before his dark haired lover could brush him off. Then he was gone,   
skipping down the hall, his braid trailing behind him.  
  
~~~  
  
"What did you say?" Quatre asked Trowa, looking at him as if he had  
grown three more heads, and all of them purple.  
  
"I said I don't want you to go. I don't think you should." Said the   
taller boy. His (visible) green eye not moving from Quatre's face.  
  
"But, I HAVE to go!" He said almost defensively. "All of us do.  
We   
are the only ones who can fight this thing," He paused to shove a  
too-large roll into his mouth, "You know very well that us five are  
the only capable ones." He said thickly through the bread.  
  
"I know..." Trowa trailed off mournfully. He didn't want to go.   
Leaving his meager life behind would be hard, even if he wouldn't   
have much to miss. He had grown up in Incarlia, along with his four  
best friends. And now, the five of them were going to be tossed out  
on their own.  
  
Oh it's not that he wasn't used to being shunned and given the cold  
shoulder. He had been given frightened looks for as long as her   
could remember. All of them had.  
  
People thought Heero had killed his own mother, but no one had any  
proof, and his mother's lover hated him, so his word didn't count  
much.   
  
Both of Duo's parents had died the night he was born. Then   
his sister had died, when she was found her hair was white, and she   
looked terrified. No one knew what had happened to her, but Duo was  
blamed.  
  
Quatre kept saying that he saw things, and then there would be   
people in the their small town - dying people - who suddenly got  
better. Quatre denied it, but the townsfolk swore Quatre was the   
last one they saw with the person.  
  
And then the things that Trowa himself had been accused of. The   
wind seemed to do strange things around him. He could call it to   
him if he needed it. Icy wind from the mountains would come down  
and literally freeze who ever was trying to attack. Sometimes is would  
happen in people were being only moderately annoying. Like the time  
when he gave twelve of the Royal Watch a horrible cold because they  
kept asking if he would do something neat. Like freeze a cow.  
  
But it's not like they hadn't been asking for it.  
  
And now they were to set out to the Eastern Continent, to do only   
gods' knew what.  
  
~~~  
  
"Well I'm ready. The others better be packed by dusk, or I'll leave   
without them." Wufei said coolly, his jet black hair tied back out   
of his face.   
  
All the things he called his own were packed in a small  
saddle bag at the door. His cloak and extra clothes, some cotton   
and wool shirts. Enough for however long it would take them.  
  
The Black Magi would surely be near the mountains. That's where   
they were headed first. But he doubted that their journey would be   
so easy.  
  
No, this wasn't going to be pleasant at all.  
  
***  
  
Duo was checking and rechecking all the things he had packed. He   
had his cloak, lots of woolen socks, a bone comb. He had two   
blankets, a bed roll and as much food as he could pack. Now all he   
needed was clothes. They were all in Heero's room.  
  
He bounced out of his room and down the hall, knocking on the door  
once ... twice... three times.  
  
Where the hell was Heero? He usually answered almost immediately. Duo  
was the only one who ever knocked on his door.  
  
Then he heard voices. A woman's voice, and Heero's.  
  
He pressed his ear closer to the door, so he could catch what they   
were saying.  
  
"...leaving?" Said the obviously female voice.  
  
"Yes I am, and nothing you say will make me stay." Heero sounded   
annoyed.  
  
"But why? Can't the others handle it? Surely they don't need you!"   
Wailed the girl.  
  
"We have been over this, I'm going. NOW." Now he sounded angry. Who  
ever the girl was she was awfully stupid to get Heero angry.  
  
"But ... WHY do you have to go?" She sounded as if she was going to   
cry soon. "Is it because of HIM?" She started crying. Thick sobbing   
noises came from inside the room.  
  
"Yes, and no." Heero said sternly. "Now out." Duo could  
almost feel Heero pointing at the door, but he forgot to move out   
of the way.  
  
The door opened and Duo fell flat on his face. Right at the feet of  
the very last person he would ever want to see.  
  
Relena Peacecraft. The daughter of the Queen and heir to the   
throne.  
  
"Ow!" Duo shouted, rubbing his nose and picking himself up off the   
floor. He peered up and met Relena's red puffy eyes. Oh shit, he   
was in trouble. He wanted to smack himself in the head.  
  
"What do you think you were doing, PEASANT." Relena said lifting   
her nose up in the air.  
  
"Oh, peasant am I?" He retorted. But seeing the anger in Heero's  
eyes, he felt less than noble at the moment.  
  
Relena gave a disdainful sniff and glided down the hall, her head  
held high and her hand clutching her pail silvery skirts.  
  
"Well?" Was all Heero said.  
  
"I just came to get my clothes..." Duo said sheepishly. Hoping that   
he wasn't going to get punched.  
  
Heero didn't say anything, he turned away and disappeared into the   
room. When he came back he was hefting a large pile of black   
clothes. He tossed them to Duo, and started to close the door, but   
Duo stuck his whole body in the way.  
  
"Why were you talking to her?" The braided boy's jealous streak was  
starting to surface.  
  
"I was trying to get her out. And if you heard what I said then why  
does it bother you?" He said coldly.  
  
"Because I love you, and I couldn't stand her winning." Duo   
muttered under his breath, but Heero caught the gist of it.  
  
"Duo, I don't like her, let alone love her."  
He reached out as if to pat Duo on his bowed head, but instead   
took hold of the long braid. "Your mine."  
  
"Yes..." Duo looked up at his lover. He wanted to ask if Heero was  
his in return, but thought better of it. "So I guess I'll finish   
packing now." He raised up on tiptoe to kiss Heero on the forehead.  
  
Two shockingly blue eyes watched his retreating back 'till Duo's   
braid disappeared around a corner.  
  
~~~  
  
That bastard, Duo thought darkly as he packed his remaining   
belongings. Why did he always have to be that way? Duo could have  
hit him!  
  
He had just done with his packing when some one knocked on the   
door. He was going to just let them think he wasn't there, when the   
door handle turned.  
  
A silvery slippered foot slid between the door and the frame,   
obviously expecting him to shut the door when he saw who it was.  
  
Relena Peacecraft slid her whole body through the door.  
  
Duo's violet eyes narrowed to slits. "What do YOU want? I have   
nothing to say to you." He spat out. Holding back the urge to toss   
her out bodily. Having the princess tossed out of his room would not  
look good for him.   
  
"We need to talk." She said, twisting a fold of her dress absently.  
  
"No we don't." He ground out through his teeth.  
  
"Stay away from Heero. You can't have him." She said in a   
commanding voice.  
  
That was all Duo could stand. He didn't like the girl, and now she   
was going after his BOYFRIEND?! This kingdom was not going to go   
far in that git's hands. It would go strait down the hole they dug   
as Duo's grave.  
  
Because that little bitch was going to have to step over Duo's dead  
and broken body to get to Heero. And he was going to make that VERY  
clear.  
  
"Look, GIRL. You can't have Heero, and you CAN'T keep me away from  
him. We are leaving and there is nothing you can do about it. Now,   
get out of my room before I toss you out. Or maybe I should just   
enchant the wardrobe so no one can hear you scream through it." He   
said, venom dripping from every word. A small wicked smile reached   
his lips.  
  
The stupid girl didn't leave though. She stood up to him,   
defiantly. Her nose held high in what she must have though was a   
regal position. She just looked like a little girl who was about to   
throw a tantrum. "You CAN'T have him." She said, but the surety in   
her voice had been replaced by defiance.  
  
"Get out." He pointed a finger at the door, and didn't take his   
eyes off of Relena until she was out of his room and down the   
hall.  
  
~~~  
  
Why did that Maxwell boy have to be so disgusting? He had to know   
that Heero was HERS, and hers alone. The relationship those two had  
was disgusting. But the stupid boy wouldn't understand that.  
  
But he would, she would make very sure of it.  
  
She couldn't help but smile as she walked down the hall.   
  
She had packing to do.  
  
***  
  
Trowa stood transfixed at the window ledge. This would be the last  
chance he had to look out the this window, with the blonde boy   
sitting in his favorite chair. A light breeze ruffled his hair and   
brought him back to what was to be done. The sun had start to set.  
  
Dusk.  
  
"Quatre," He said sadly, "It's time."  
  
The blonde haired figure that was Quatre, stood up and walked over   
to where Trowa stood. He rapped his arms around his tall lover and   
whispered into his ear. "Yes, let's got get the others. Don't worry  
Trowa. Everything will be fine." He patted the brown haired wizard  
on the arm and walked towards the door. His belongings were packed   
and waiting by the door.  
  
This truly was the end.  
  
"Duo!" Yelled Quatre jovially. The braided boy skidded to a stop and  
turned around. Seeing his friends he broke into a wide grin and   
back tracked to where they stood.  
  
"Hello, you guys ready?" He said with a huge grin.  
  
"Yes," Quatre looked around, "Where's Heero?" He inquired.  
  
Duo turned slightly pink, and scratched the back of his head   
nervously. "Well ... I don't really know. He's probably outside   
waiting for us, and scowling." That seemed to remind him of   
something unpleasant. His grin faltered slightly.  
  
Quatre, sensing the sudden awkwardness, changed the subject. "Well,   
we should be heading off, ne?" He smiled much more cheerfully than  
he felt, and headed towards the great doors at the front of the   
castle.  
  
"Oi! Heero! We're all ready to go!" Duo shouted across the  
courtyard.  
  
Heero was dressed in a dingy gray leather vest and pants. His   
light cotton shirt was a pail almost yellow color under his vest.   
The heavy cloak he had packed was still in his saddle bags. When   
he saw Duo and the others, he looked up but that's it.  
  
Duo was wearing all black. Even his faded cotton shirt bore the   
remnants of black. His scuffed boots were black as well, with a few  
spots of mud. The others were all dressed in a similar fashion, but  
the colors varied.  
  
Duo, understanding Heero's need for space, walked strait to his  
jet black horse. "Hello, Lucifer. You feeling all right? Heero wasn't   
to rough was he?" He whispered to the horse. Lucifer twitched his   
ears and nudged Duo affectionately. "Well at least SOMEONE had a   
good day." He said, patting the horse's black flanks.  
  
Quatre had already hopped on his pail yellow horse - Gallan -   
Trowa was giving his dappled gray horse - Sinsta - an oat cake form   
his saddle bags. Wufei was patting down his white war horse,   
Nataku. She was dancing with anticipation.  
  
Heero was already on his way out the gate on his solid chestnut, his  
name was Lanfrei.  
  
***  
  
"One day behind us, and another very long day to go. And more after   
that." Duo said in with and exasperated air. And then almost   
instantly he fell asleep. Although how Wufei managed to sleep in a  
tree was a mystery  
  
The other dropped off shortly after. Soon only Heero was left awake,  
laying on his bed roll.  
  
The absence of a warm body curled up next to him made sleep none to  
easy to come by. And he needed sleep. The next day would be longer.   
And the horses couldn't do all the work. They could only go so far  
before they would just keel over.  
  
And refraining from tackling Duo to the ground and ripping his   
clothes off took much more effort that it used to.  
  
After laying awake and thinking about Duo, and there task at hand,  
and Duo ... he got up and crawled to where the braided boy lay.  
  
He crouched down and brushed a stray hair away form the sleep   
softened face. It's amazing how beautiful some one can be when   
their mouth isn't constantly open. Not that he was complaining   
about Duo's ramblings. They were almost soothing. They were normal.  
  
/"What...?" Said a small voice. It sounded familiar, it was his   
own. He looked down and saw blood all over his hands. And on the   
floor lay his mother. Her blood red dress concealing the stains. He   
looked around, hoping that there was some one there who could help   
him. A poor boy standing next to the prone figure of his mother,   
not knowing what had happened. Not knowing what to do.  
  
"My God! What have you done you horrid boy!"   
  
Heero turned and saw his step-father. His large face was beet red   
and a vein was throbbing at his temple. A tic went off in his cheek.  
  
He tried to protest, to say that he hadn't done anything, but his  
father loomed over him like a great, very red, giant.  
  
"You, boy, aren't going to get away with this. This is the last   
time. I promise you that you will pay dearly for this.../  
  
The old memories faded away. Dim light was flooding through the   
trees around them. He was jolted fully awake when the lump he had   
been sleeping on snorted and tried to roll over.  
  
He got up as fast as he could and tried to dash over to his unused   
bed roll, but Duo sat upright and looked at Heero accusingly.  
  
"Why Heero! I would have never thought you a pervert." He said   
mockingly. He stood up and walked over to Heero, rapping his bare   
arms around Heero's shoulders from behind. "You don't have to sleep   
on me, I'm not going to sneak away in the middle of the night."   
  
Heero snorted and freed himself from his lover's grasp. "We should  
get going. Wake the others." Was all he said before he started   
unpacking a meager breakfast of dried meat, black bread and yellow   
cheese.  
  
Once they had all choked down their food and gotten packed and   
ready they set off for another day of journeying.  
  
For the most part the day was completely uneventful, except for a   
small tousle with a mountain troll. But one fire spell and a lot of  
running got them out of that.  
  
Night began to creep up on the travelers, and with it a growing   
sense of something. Something none of them could quite place.  
  
It felt almost as if they were being watched. But every time Duo  
looked over his shoulder, all he saw was the road. Nothing more.  
  
A vulture called in the distance. They looked up and saw three   
circling up in the blue-black sky.  
  
Duo couldn't help but wonder what the birds were looking for. They  
seemed out of place for some reason. The sense of foreboding grew  
stronger with every step. And Duo noticed that he wasn't the only  
one craning their necks to see the road behind.  
  
Quatre was the first to break the uneasy silence. "We should stop  
for a while, ne?" He looked at the others, "It's getting awfully   
dark."  
  
"We can't. I don't like it here." Heero didn't turn around in  
his saddle to answer.  
  
Wufei nodded in silent agreement.  
  
"Heero's right, it just doesn't feel right here. Maybe we could go  
just a little farther and find someplace better." Duo suggested. He  
didn't feel like they were welcome there at all.  
  
"Yeah, all right..." The blonde nodded and they trotted off again,   
eager to leave that place.  
  
After another couple of hours, Trowa spotted a sign. It pointed to  
a small muddy trail that went off the the left of the cobble stone  
path they had been traveling on. He got all their attention, and   
Heero went to check out the small wooden - lopsided - sign.  
  
"Lets check it out. I can see some lights, It's most likely a   
town." He said knowingly.  
  
They turned the horses and plodded down the muddy road. Their   
horses' hooves making squelching noises in the sticky mud.  
  
"Oi! Look, LIGHTS!" Duo shouted over the squish of the hooves.  
  
They were coming upon a small town, in the middle was a slightly   
run down inn.  
  
'The Gold Fox' Read the sign over the door in pealing gold letters.   
And a small golden fox perched on the letters, staring out into   
the night with it's painted eyes.  
  
A small boy ran up to them, holding out his hands for the horses'   
reins. They handed the small stable boy their horses and tried not  
to laugh as he stared wide-eyed at the large war horses.  
  
Heero pushed the door open and walked into the buttery light from   
the inside. The other followed him, squinting in the sudden light.  
  
A small mousy little innkeeper walked up to them, whipping his hands  
on a dingy apron. "How may I help you?" He said in an oily voice.  
  
"How much for dinner and three rooms?" Wufei said coolly,   
pretending not to notice the wary looks form the patrons in the   
common room.  
  
"A gold for each room, and a silver for dinner. So that would be   
three golds and five silvers." He said in that same greasy voice,   
smoothing back his equally greasy black hair.  
  
"Isn't that a little expensive?" Quatre said skeptically.  
  
"Ah, the young master has noticed. Well you see, our town is   
not thriving like it used to. We need the money we get, and often   
it is far between. I am terribly sorry for any inconvenience this  
causes, sirs." He said, not sounding sorry at all. His eyes kept  
wandering to their fat money purses at their belts.  
  
"All right fine. Here's your money." Heero said, handing the money to  
the inn keeper roughly.   
  
The five of them walked past the mousy little man and into the   
common room. They all tried to ignore the stairs they got. It   
wasn't often that a small town had such well kept visitors. They   
sat down at a table near the fire and out of the main crowd.  
  
"Why are they all staring? You would think they had never seen a   
proper wizard before." Wufei said with slight annoyance.  
  
"Now, Wufei, the people here are poor, they probably don't see   
nobles around here much. And you must admit, we DO look slightly   
out of place." He ran his eyes over the people huddled over their   
mugs, most of them slouching and talking casually to their neighbors.   
Every few minutes or so one of them would glance over at the five   
boys near the fire.  
  
"It's kinda nice to have people wondering about us. I bet they are   
making up all kinds of stories about us. 'Yeah, the one on the   
left'" He said, leering at Trowa, "'I bet he came from some kind of  
tall tribe! And the blonde one, I bet he's part water sprit, and   
then that black haired one. I bet he's some kind of king. Look at   
the way he holds his nose as if we all smell funny. And then the   
one with the short dark hair. He looks like some kind of mercenary.   
I bet that sword at his belt has helped him kill HUNDREDS!'" He   
laughed at his own joke and looked at all of them cheerily.  
  
"'You forgot about that silly looking braided one,'" Wufei said in   
a gossiping whisper. "'I wouldn't be suprised if he is some kind of   
spy for the Incarlia Kingdom. He must go undercover as a GIRL.'"   
Wufei graced them all with a rare smirk and looked pointedly at   
Duo.  
  
Duo gave a weak smile, knowing that he had just been hit with his  
own joke.  
  
Heero smirked as well. Apparently he was feeling better now that Duo  
had be slightly humiliated.  
  
Shortly after a serving girl with a livid scar over her brow came   
up to them. She looked slightly nervous and kept patting her hair.   
"Sirs," She said, "What would you like for your supper?" She  
gave them a weak smile and shifted from foot to foot.  
  
"What is there?" Asked Quatre, looking just as sweet as ever.  
  
"Well, sirs, we have lamb pie, and red berry juice, red and white   
wine ... Some good yellow cheese, black bread and some stew. Stew is   
a silver, pie is two, cheese is five coppers, redberry is five   
coppers and wine is a silver. I'm terribly sorry about the prices,   
but the food is good." She said nervously. Although Quatre thought   
her apology resembled that of the innkeeper's.  
  
They talked for a minute, and they all decided on stew and   
redberry. They were the least expensive, and they all thought that   
their journey wasn't going to be easy. They would need all the   
money they could get.  
  
The girl scuttled off to get their food and returned with another  
girl, both with trays laden with food and tall tumblers.  
  
They stew was peppery and tasty, and the redberry was better than   
most wine. The meal was better than any of them had thought it   
would be.  
  
Once they were done, they started up the steps to their rooms, warm  
and sleepy. Heero and Duo filed into the middle room, Quatre and  
Trowa on the left, Wufei on the right.  
  
Duo settled into bed with his faded gray cotton shirt, and shorts,  
Heero in his shorts only. They slept at least two feet apart,   
until Duo got up the nerve to squirm over to Heero and huddle up   
against him.  
  
Heero didn't seem to mind. He flung a possessive arm over Duo's   
middle and loosened up slightly.  
  
***  
  
Duo yawned loudly and stretched, making sure he jostled Heero as he  
picked himself up out of the bed. They dressed quickly and hurried  
out to the stable. Their horses had been well kept, and sat   
munching oats cakes in their stalls.  
  
After a quick conversation about witch would be the best way to   
reach the mountains, the five were off. Heading nearly due west.  
  
Duo's jaw cracked as he yawned loudly, bouncing a little lopsided   
in his saddle. The others weren't much better off. Wufei and Heero   
were the only ones who seemed to be actually comfortable. Trowa   
looked calm and calculating as usual. Quatre was trying very hard   
to stifle a yawn and stay strait in his saddle.  
  
But the sleepy calm that hovered over them did not last. They were  
all jolted fully awake when Quatre made an absent comment about the  
fog that was growing rapidly thicker. It loomed up around them like  
great white hazy cloak. The temperature dropped, leaving them chilly  
and searching for their cloaks. It was late enough in the day that  
the fog should have burned off already, so all of the boys were   
alert, ears pricked for any sound.  
  
Wufei was the first to hear anything. But he wished he hadn't. He   
heard something that sounded like a soft moaning noise. Thinking   
- hoping - that it was only the wind, he didn't mention anything to   
the others. But they were soon made aware of the noise.  
  
The wail did not stop, or drop away. It seemed to follow them.   
And sound went off at timed intervals. It seemed to be like some   
kind of pattern. Trowa was keeping track of it as they plodded   
along the cobblestone road. It seemed to ring some kind of bell. But   
he didn't know what it meant.  
  
Duo shouted suddenly. And everyone screeched to a halt. The horses  
were rolling their eyes, looking as if there were about to bolt.   
They stayed steady only out of training.  
  
"Duo!" Heero's voice seemed muffled by the fog. There was no   
answer.  
  
"Duo! Answer me dammit!" Heero shouted again into the unending   
white.  
  
Silence.  
  
Heero swung down off Lanfrei, but before he could take a step   
something watery walked out of the fog. Duo appeared at it's hazy   
feet. His hair was unbraided and disheveled, a thin sstreamof blood   
trickling out of his mouth. His face was pail as death.  
  
Heero stopped, paralyzed with rage. Some one had touched Duo. His   
Duo.  
  
"What iss you doing here?" Said the watery figure, it's skin seemed   
to move as if it were water itself. It's raspy voice sounded like   
water running over stones.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Heero whole boys was shaking, his fists  
clenched at his sides.  
  
"Humanss shouldn't be here. Humanss iss in danger. You leave!" It   
said in that watery voice. One of its ocean blue eyes flicked   
absently towards Duo's prone body.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Heero repeated, he was going to hurl   
himself at the thing any moment.   
  
"I did nossing ... It wass the demonss. Lansshial hass done nossing.   
Take your friend, go!" One pail blue watery finger pointed along   
the path.  
  
"What demon?" Quatre piped up, his voice was slightly higher than  
usual.  
  
"You iss not finding out. You iss going. Very important humanss you  
are. Pleasse leave. GO!" The thing rasped.  
  
"Damn..." Heero muttered under his breath. He looked down at Duo.   
Then he thought of something. "We have to find Lucifer. Duo   
wouldn't leave without him." He stormed off into the gloom without   
a backwards glance.  
  
"Heero! Matte!" Quatre squeaked. He flung himself off Gallan and   
ran after Heero. Trowa and Wufei followed, leading the horses   
behind them.  
  
It didn't take long to find Lucifer. The great black war-horse was   
like a large silouhet on the hazy background. But the poor horse   
wasn't alone. Two boarish looking things were grabbing at it,   
trying to hold it still.  
  
The horse was putting up a damn good fight though. It's nostrils   
flared as it kicked and rolled it's eyes. The two things let go,   
and looked around. There was a series of snuffling noises, as if   
the things were sniffing the air.  
  
They turned, their yellow eyes focusing stupidly on the four boys.   
They started waddling forwards, thuggish arms outstretched.   
Two swords, a bow, and a fist full of throwing knives were drawn. An   
arrow knocked and ready, Quatre pulled the string back.   
  
The boarish things sniffed again. And walked faster, sensing the   
battle about the begin.  
  
They didn't get far though, at least without an injury or two. A   
well placed arrow and a few knives seemed to slow the great brutes  
down, but they did not stop.  
  
There was a shuffling noise from behind them, and Duo's voice   
floated through the fog.  
  
He walked forwards, stumbled, righted himself, and continued   
walking. He stopped when he was in front of the others. He held out   
his hands, fanning out his fingers and began to mutter under his   
breath. No one caught the words, but it was obvious what he was   
doing.  
  
The fog around Duo seemed to catch fire. His golden brown hair   
reflecting the black flames around him. They danced merrily around  
him, beginning to close in. Threatening to engulf him   
entirely. The black fire danced along Duo's arms, pooling in his  
hands.   
  
The flames danced from finger to finger, creating a blurred ring of   
black blazing inferno. Duo's unbound hair fluttered in an unfelt   
breeze.  
  
He brought his palms up to face the demons, and the ring   
turned as well. Duo abruptly stopped chanting. The ring jolted   
forward and stood suspended for a few silent seconds. He removed  
his hands, and the ring sped forward at breakneck speed. The boar  
demons cowered, but stood riveted to the spot.  
  
With a loud high pitched whimper and a hissing noise, the two   
demons crumpled. Their remains lay in a pile of sickly yellow ash,   
a vile smell wafting from them.  
  
Duo promptly collapsed, grunting faintly as he hit the hard ground.  
  
=========  
  
Standard disclaimers apply  
=========  
Warnings:  
Um...I guess the normal warnings apply. Shonen Ai...and I dunno   
if  
there is any lime, cause I write the warnings in the middle of the  
fic...before I finish it ^^;; So enjoy, and please pardon the   
typos, and horrid gramar.  
=========  
Towers of Death Watch  
Part 2  
=========  
  
/"Duo..." The voice floated sofly along an unfelt breaze. A  
softly uttered name, bringing the sleeping boy to wakefulness.   
  
The little brown haired boy stired; sat up; and looked at  
his adopted mother. "Mamma!" He said, his violet eyes lighting up.  
  
"Good morning my darling. Did you sleep well?" His mother  
asked, patting the small boy on the head.  
  
"Yes mamma. What's for breakfast?" He asked innocently.  
  
His mother chortled "That's my little Duo, always thinking  
with your stomach, eh? Well I thought we could have some sausages.  
Does that sound good?"  
  
Duo got up and smiled, tugging on his mother's apron. "Can  
we eat now, mamma?"  
  
Duo's mother laughed again, but it was cut short when Duo's  
father - a tall lankey man, who looked like he never did any   
physical work - burst through the door. "Mara! Get out! NOW!" He  
said with ergency thick in his voice. Sweat ran down his face in  
streams.  
  
"Rand? Darling what's going on?" Mara aksed, clutching her  
small son to her side.  
  
"I can't explain it right now. Just go, and take Duo!" Rand  
bustled the two of them out the back door, only pausing long enough  
to get some food, and three blankets. "Now head into the village.  
You should be safe there. I'll join you when I can." He pushed them  
out the back door kissed his wife and his son, and then closed the   
door.   
  
Mara and Duo ran for as long as they could, and when Duo   
started crying for his father, Mara picked him up and carried him in  
her arms. "Duo hush," She said as soothingly as posible. "Daddy will  
be fine. We just have to get to the village. Hush now." She patted  
his small back, and smoothed out his long chessnut hair.  
  
Little Duo sobbed into his mother's dress, while they ran  
the length from their small cottege in the woods to the village. It  
took over three hours of constant running untill they were in sight  
of the houses clustered at the edge of the forest.  
  
Something rustled in the trees to their right, but Mara   
didn't stop to find out what it was. The rustling continued, it was  
following them along the small winding path. Mara stopped sudenly,  
holding Duo to her chest protectively, one hand holding his head.  
"Duo don't make a sound." She said in a whisper. She turned in a   
circle looking around, as if she could peer through the trees.  
"Come out," She said, holding Duo closer, "It's obvious what you are  
and what you want." Her voice wavering slightly. "You can't have   
him."  
  
She set Duo down, and pushed him behind her back. He clung  
to her skirts, sobbing loudly. "Mamma! Maamma!!!" He waled.  
  
"Duo hush. Please, I want you to run to the village." She  
pushed her little boy forward. Handing him the food and a blanket.  
"Go on." She shooed him down the path with her hands.  
  
"But mamma!" He protested, not wanting to leave the only  
mother he had ever known.  
  
"Duo, GO!" She turned away and would not say another word,   
no matter how much the poor child cried.  
  
Duo finaly ran; down the forest path towards the rooftops at  
the bottom of the hill. His mother would be just fine. She could   
take care of herself, and then his father would come and help. They  
would meet in the village and be happy again. Just like his parents  
had said./  
  
"Duo," It was Heero's voice that brought him back the   
reality. He was being shaken lightly, and when he opened his eyes,   
he found he was being closely examined by his friends. He was safe  
here, he was safe just like his adopted mother had promised.  
  
"What happened back there?" Quatre asked, his voice   
penetraiting the darkness.  
  
"I don't know. What did it look like?"  
  
Duo could almost feel Quatre's dismay. "We were kinda   
hoping that you could tell us..." He trailed off.  
  
"If I knew, I wouldn't have asked." Duo said, harsher than  
he knew he should have. He regreted the words as soon as they   
popped out of his mouth.  
  
"Gomen ne." Quatre mumbled. His voice broke.  
  
"We should get to an inn." Heero said, lifting Duo up and   
flingin the limp boy's arm over his shoulder of suport.  
  
Lucifer had calmed down, and the other horses were all ready  
to go. Duo's first atempt to clamber up on top of Lucifer failed,  
as did the second, and after the third, he gave up and let Heero   
hoist him up onto Lanfrei's back.  
  
"So where you worried?" Duo whispered against Heero's ear  
once he was situated on the saddle, his arms rapped around Heero's  
waist.  
  
"What happened back there?" Heero avoided the quesiton with  
another question.  
  
Duo sighed, "What do you think?" He said testily.  
  
"Don't do it again. Promise me you wont do it again." Heero  
had to fight to keep his voice emotionless.  
  
"Heero, don't be silly. Nothing will happen!" Duo protested.  
He hadn't MEANT to do it, it just happened.  
  
"Promise." Heero said more forcefully.  
  
"Fine." Duo was getting grouchy  
  
"Say it."   
  
"Alright alright I promise!" Duo said louder than he should  
have.  
  
"Good." Was all Heero said as they began bumping along the  
path towards the next town.  
  
Meredith was only a few miles from where they were, and that  
town had walls, so there would, undoubtedly, be an inn somewhere.  
  
"I can see the wall!" Quatre shouted over the noise of the   
horses' hoves.  
  
They could all see the walls, their black stone shining in  
the summer sun. The high Watch Tower of Meredith had a small slit  
window that they could see a tiny man through. His details were   
blured, due to the distance, but he was watching them come down  
the path.   
  
They reached the gates - their metal bars gleaming as black   
as the walls - Duo called up to the man, "Oi! What's it take to get  
in here, eh?" He shouted, tilting his head as far back as it would  
go to see up to the top of the tower.   
  
The man leaned his head out of the small slit window "Who   
are you?" He shouted down.  
  
"Just some travelers, who need some food and a place to   
sleep." Duo said cheerily.  
  
The man peered down at them, sizing them up. "Alright then,  
go talk to the man in the guard house." He said finaly, pointing   
towards the gate.  
  
They walked over to the guard house, where a very fat and  
balding man was snoring loudly. Quatre prodded him, and he woke,   
spluttering all over the place. "I'm sorry sir!" He said groggily,  
before he was fully awake. He looked around, realized where he was  
and looked over at the five boys.  
  
"What do you want?" He said, suspicion replacing his   
sleeptyness.  
  
"Food." Duo said  
  
"Got any weapons?" Said the man, trying to hold them all  
in a glare.  
  
They bagan pulling out their weapons. Quatre's bow didn't   
seem unusual, and Heero's sword only got a quick glance. Trowa's  
crossbow went almost unnoticed, and so did his dagger. Wufei's  
katana and trowing knives got an apraising look. But Duo's wavey   
sword seemed to spark some nervouse fear in the fat gaurd. He waved  
a shakey hand in the direction of the gates - witch to their supise  
were now open - so they picked up their weapons and rode forward.  
  
"Heero? When are we gonna eat?" Duo said over the din of   
the city.  
  
They hald walked into a bustling city, full of people   
rushing to and fro. Going on about their daily routines, unperturbed  
by the new comers. The only thing that gave them away was their   
eyes. The people would take a sidelong glance at the boys on horses  
every now and then. Their eyes would flicker to and from so quickly  
that Quatre wasn't sure he had really seen anything but a trick of  
the light. But then he got a good look at a man selling ribbons and  
knives. His eyes were dead. Not only in color, but they lacked   
something vital. Something human. There was no life or emotion in  
his eyes.  
  
Quatre shivered.  
  
"Heee~~ro! When are we gonna eat?!" Duo whailed. He was now  
leaning over in his saddle to poke Heero in the side. He nearly fell  
off when his horse jostled him roughly.  
  
"Quiet." Heero said, annoyance dripping from his voice.  
  
Duo slumped in his saddle, looking put out.  
  
"There's an inn, and it looks feesable." Quatre said   
hopefully. Pointing in the direction of an inn with a large painted  
sign. It was silver, and read 'The Silver Arrow' in black letters.  
  
They all turned, and headed towards the inn. A young stable  
boy was waiting for them. His arms outstretched for the reins. He  
took the horses, and a silver for himself. The poor boy had looked  
cold and hungry.  
  
"I hope this place is cheeper than the last. It looks more  
prosperous any way." Quatre said as they walked the from the stable  
to the large oak doors of the inn.   
  
A very large balding man in a crisp white apron aproched  
them. His small black eyes darting back and forth from each of their  
faces. For such a large man he looked very nervous.  
  
"Can I help you sirs?" He said, rubbing his hands on his   
apron.  
  
"Three rooms, supper, and bathes." Duo said in a rush. He  
had pushed past Heero to the front. He smilled sweetly at the   
innkeeper, showing his teeth.  
  
"Only three rooms?" He asked, eyeing the the five of them.  
  
Duo's smile wavered, but he kept it fixed fermly on his   
face. "Three rooms" He said again.  
  
"A-alright then." The fat inkeeper said, nervously. "Would  
you prefer the bathes or super first?"   
  
"Bathes." All five of them said in unison.  
  
"If you would follow me, sirs." The inkeeper said, walking  
towards the highly polished wooden stairs.  
  
The bath house was magnificent, well, as inn bathes go. The  
copper tubs were deep, with an endless flow of hot water. It smelled  
of sulfer, but it was hot, and extremely comfortable. There was a   
long hot spring pool at the far end of the bath room.   
  
Once the innkeeper had left, and the serving girl had come  
and gone with hot towls and bath robes, they stripped off their  
filthy clothes and hopped into the tubs.   
  
Duo was the only one who tried out the pool. He lay on his back,  
floating in the middle, his long chessnut hair billowing behind him,   
creating a mass of gleaming golden-chestnut water.   
  
He closed his eyes, trying to think of nothing at all. But,   
unbiden, images of what he had done to the demons kept flashing in   
his head. He kept thinking about his promise to Heero, about his   
family - or lack there of.   
  
His adopted family had died, after just a few years. His   
adopted mother, Mara, had died in the woods. And his father, Rand,   
had never come to meet him in the village like he had promised. His   
real family had died when he was a tiny newborn child.   
  
He had never known any of them, not even his sister.  
  
He was getting the impression that he was more trouble than  
he was worth. This was not the first time he had contemplaited   
leaving Heero, and his friends, to protect them from the curse he  
caried around. He was convinced that it was his fault that everyone  
he loved had died. He had to get away from the others, to save them.  
  
That was it, he would leave tonight. It would be less   
painless for everyone if he left durring the middle of the night. He  
wouldn't have to say good-bye. Or deal with any one trying to   
convince him that it wasn't his fault. No, his way would be much   
better for everyone. Including himself.  
  
A splash brought him out of his dark thoughts. He turned his  
head and saw Heero wading towards him. He flushed, but it wasn't   
obvious, his face was already pink from the heat in the bath room.  
  
"Uh...hi." Duo said, righting himself, and running a hand   
through his soaking hair. It smelled faintly of sulfer. He srunched  
up his nose at the smell.  
  
Heero grabed a large handful of Duo's hair, pulling their  
bodies together.  
  
Duo blushed furiously, but smiled through his embarasment.  
  
Heero ran a caloused finger over Duo's lower lip, a look of  
intensity on his face. As if he were concentraiting everything into  
that one finger, as if it were meant to tell Duo something.  
  
They broke away when Quatre made a soft snorting noise. He  
was blushing a faint pink, and his face srunched up like he was   
trying not to giggle.  
  
Duo sank back into the water and turned his back, pretending  
to be embarased. Hot tears leacked from his tightly closed eyes.  
  
He was going to miss them all so much, he almost lost his  
nearve. But he had to go, there was no way around it. He was going  
to do something horrible again. But next time it might not be to  
some old bore demons. And even if it was, evil was still evil, no   
matter what it was used for.  
  
Evil didn't belong with good, pure people. And it was slowly  
killing him.  
  
***  
  
A slight shadow on a pail milk white horse had followed the   
five boys to the town of Meredith. The hooded figure removed it's   
cloack and folded it up.  
  
Relena Peacecraft stood in the place of the hooded figure.  
  
She took a blanket out of her bag and lay down on the ground  
her cloak acting as a pillow. Her horse - Reine - was teathered to  
a tree nearby, iddly munching on the grass by it's roots.  
  
She knew what she had to do. Only an hour or so of sleep,  
and then to find that intolorable git.   
  
Duo Maxwell...she thought venomously, he would suffer for  
this. Oh he would suffer more than he thought posible. And then  
Heero would see. He would see everything.  
  
She drifted off to a fitful sleep. After about fourtyfive   
minutes she woke up, repacked and hopped on Reine. They galloped to  
the gates, and using some simple spells, Relena veiled herself and  
Reine from sight, and and annother to slip through the gates. Time  
and space spells were the first a young sorceress learned.  
  
~~~  
  
"Time to go." Duo said to himself. He had feined sleep,   
waiting for Heero to drift off. Now was the perfect time to leave.  
  
Duo slipped out of Heero's vice grip, taking care not to   
make a noise. He had packed earlier, telling Heero that he wanted  
to get on the road as soon as they could that morning. He dressed  
quickly. Wanting nothing more than to get this the hell over with.  
  
He snuck over to the window, opened it, and whinced when it  
made a noise. But Heero didn't wake up, thank the gods.  
  
It was a small drop to the ground, as they were only on the  
second floor. He slung his weight over the ledge, and jumped down.  
  
The door to the stables creacked loudly when Duo opened it,  
waking the horses. Lucifer knew what was coming. No one gave horses  
the credit they deserved.  
  
They were out of the stable in a flash, but not untill Duo  
had checked his signature on the spell he set around the inn. Heero  
would recognize it as his, and know what had happened. That way he  
wouldn't go after Lucifer and Duo. Heero knew Duo's signature. He'd   
understand.  
  
"I love you Heero." Duo said to the night. He dug his heals  
into Lucifer's flanks and they spead off through the town. A small  
muffling spell made their flight unheard by anyone. And then a small  
space spell to get them through the closed gates. The towns people  
were stupid to forget about sorcery.  
  
Duo thought he saw a halow of hazey buttery light while he  
spead through the town, but he didn't have time to stop and find out  
what it was.  
  
~~~  
  
"That's Duo!" Relana said quietly to herself as she passed  
silently through the town. She had seen him clearly, his silence  
spell blazed like a lamp to her eyes. No one else would see it,   
unless they had the natural spark. The aura of a sorceror.  
  
She thought about folowing him, but now that he was gone,  
her job was made infinatly easyer. She was going to see Heero, oh  
he would be upset when he found out that they boy he THOUGHT he  
loved was gone, but Relena would comfort him. She would make him   
see everything.  
  
She kept up her steady pace. Judging by the direction that  
Duo had come, and the energy in the air, she found the inn where  
Heero was. It was getting on near dawn. She would sleep in the   
loft of the stable, and confront Heero when he came to get his   
horse. He would have to listen to her then.  
  
She couldn't help but laugh at the simplicity of it all. Duo  
had done half the job for her. She knew such an nurotic boy could  
never settle down with anyone, let alone annother male. It was  
perposterous.  
  
She looked at the sky, it was begginging to picken around  
the edges. Dawn was only a few minutes off. Heero and the others   
would want to start early. Today was going to be very interesting,  
indeed.  
  
~~~  
  
"Master, one has left." Said a soft hissing voice. It was  
almost snakelike.  
  
"Indeed?" Said a tall man, raising one pale blond eyebrow.  
  
He was very tall, and beautiful. Very regal looking. His   
fine, pale white blond hair fell to the middle of his back. His pale  
white skin seemed to glow in the black candle light. His robes were   
fine black silk, clinging to his body in the right places to accent   
his lithe muscled form.  
  
The snake like man was bowing and scraping before him, beads  
of sweat running down his forehead, and small flat nose dialating.   
Small black eyes serveyed the noble before him. "Yes My Lord. It   
was the braided one. The one they call Shinigami."  
  
"Thank you Sammus. Bring me my guard captain, if you will."  
Said the Lord, not showing any sign of emotion over the news.  
  
"Yes, Lord Milliard" said the snake like man. He bowed,   
bending low at the waist.  
  
Lord Milliard waited in the relative dark for ten mintues,  
until his guard captain arived.  
  
"M..My Lord...!" Gasped the captain. He had been running   
from the baracks.  
  
"Ah, Remus. Thank you for desiding to finaly join me." He  
said with a cold edge. Fridgid mirthless laughter filled the   
chamber.  
  
"I'm sorry My Lord, I came as fast as I could." The captain  
said. He was struggling to catch his breath, while trying to hide  
his fatigue.  
  
Lord Milliard raised a black silk-gloved hand, clenching his  
fingers into a fist. The captain convulsed, his eyes opened wide   
with shock. Every nearve in his body flared with agony, the most  
intense pain he had ever experianced. It was too excruciating for   
speach, his lips parted in a silent scream.  
  
And then the pain vanished, Remus slumped to the ground,  
shaking violently, twitching on the floor at his Lord's feet.  
  
"Remus, I must ask you to do something for me" Millard's  
cold voice rang clearly through the captains pained fuzzy head.  
  
"Y-yes M...My Lord..." Remus gasped, hugging his shoulders,   
still treambling.  
  
"You haven't even heard what I want you to do yet. Do not be  
so quick to agree, my dear captain." Millard said coolly, cocking   
his head to one side, resting it on his gloved knuckles. An amused  
smile touched his lips.  
  
"Yes, Lord." Remus said, screwing up his face against the   
stining in his eyes.  
  
"You will find this boy they call Shinigami. I want him here  
and I would be pleased if you would also find my dear cousin. She   
has not come to visit me in so long. We have so much to catch up   
on." He said, his small smile reaching his eyes. His dear cousin   
would be useful beyond anything she could have been before. More   
useful than she would have been on the throne.  
  
"Yes My Lord." Ramus faught to stand strait, his knees were  
shaking so hard.  
  
"Leave now, and take only your three fastest men. That will  
make an even four. And take Une, she will be oh help, I assure you."  
Milliard said with a wave of his hand, dissmissing the shivering  
captain.  
  
***  
  
Heero awoke suddenly. Something was very wrong. He groped in  
the sheets, searching for the body he knew sould have been there.  
  
No Duo.  
  
Then, a terrible feeling washed over him. Wave after hot   
wave of nausiating pain. It made his guts feel full of cold writhing  
lead. He was going to vomit, and then it passed. There was only a   
lingering musky sent. It was the way Duo always smelled in the   
morning.   
  
"Duo..." Heero spoke the name softly into the empty room. He  
got up, and dressed without annother word.  
  
Once he was ready to leave he went down to the common room.  
The others would be there shortly for breakfast. He would tell them  
what had happened.  
  
Duo had gone, and he had done it to save Heero and the   
others. Duo had finaly convinced himself that he was truley evil,  
and that he didn't belong with 'good' people.  
  
"Baka..." Heero muttered into his hands  
  
=========  
This was just another weird part to my very twisted fic. But for all  
you angst lovers, this is gonna get MUCH worse. I intend to mess   
with all your heads. And have fun doing too! POWER! BWAHAHAHAHA!  
*walks off laughing*  
C&C would be apreciated 


End file.
